College Rebel

[Aegle]

Greetings fellow rebels! 

 

Now that I completed Day 1 of my respawn, I'm starting a Daily Battle Log to officially keep track of my Journey. This will hold me accountable for my actions as well as help me stay motivated. I'll write about diet and exercise and also share my experiences of trying to maintain a primal lifestyle while in college. I have no finish line in sight because I'm striving to become the best version of myself and will level up as I go. For the Rebellion! 

 

Monday 12/15/12

Food (all meals from school cafeteria)

Breakfast: Skipped (overate yesterday and wasn't hungry) 

Lunch: Sautéd broccoli, spinach, & mushrooms with 2 hard boiled eggs & salsa 

Dinner: Piece of salmon, piece of grilled chicken, ratatouille & summer squash 

 

Exercise

Walking (pedometer on phone recorded approximately 11,600 steps)

 

Notes

Having just gotten back on track, I'm taking it easy by making small changes and not working myself too hard. Right now my priorities are 1) to eat for nutrition, and 2) to avoid being sedentary throughout the day. 

[the_griff]

Having just gotten back on track, I'm taking it easy by making small changes and not working myself too hard. Right now my priorities are 1) to eat for nutrition, and 2) to avoid being sedentary throughout the day. 

 

you and me both!!  you've got this.  keep on keeping on

[Aegle]

Tuesday 12/16/14

​Food (all meals from school cafeteria)

Breakfast: Skipped (slept in late)

Lunch: Broccoli, spinach, mushroom, pepper, onion & chicken stir fry

            Apple

Dinner: Broccoli, spinach, mushroom, pepper, onion, carrot & chicken stir fry

            Piece of salmon

            Braised cabbage

            Apple

 

Exercise

Walking (pedometer on phone recorded approximately 12,000 steps)

 

Notes

Mission accomplished! I completed Day 2 and avoided gluten and sugar. I also got moderate exercise and am now feeling refreshed and healthier. During dinner, I faced the temptation of eating ice cream, but I decided to curve my craving for sweets by having an apple instead. Because of the holidays and finals, my school is serving more unhealthy food (e.g. late night pancakes, gingerbread, pizza). It's definitely hard to resist eating comfort food and desserts when they're at every meal. But I'm not the type of person who can eat sweets in moderation; it's either nothing or everything. So, I'm determined to stay away from all junk food and to forge forward on my journey to better health.  

[LiserFrenche]

You doing great! Keep it up!  Happy to see you set up a battle log.  I am finding it really helpful in sorting out what is working and what isn't.  You are going to do this!

 

Looking forward to hearing more.

[Aegle]

Wednesday 12/17/14

Food (all meals from school cafeteria)

Breakfast: Skipped (slept in late)

Lunch: Sautéed broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, onions & carrots

            2 hard boiled eggs

            Ham & turkey deli meat

            Salsa

Dinner: Chicken slices

            Carrots

            Spinach

            Brussels sprouts

            Braised cabbage 

 

Exercise:

Walking (pedometer on phone recorded approximately 10,000 steps)

 

Notes:

Today went well; I ate a good amount of protein and vegetables, and I also walked around campus 2 times. In addition, I took my physics exam and am now finished with all of my finals. What will I do to celebrate the end of the semester? I will NOT treat myself to any dessert, because I know that doing so will set off compulsive eating for the rest of the night. Instead, I can feel good knowing that I ended the semester well, both in terms of my academics and health. I'm leaving campus tomorrow to visit my friend in the city. I probably won't have time to post, but I'll be making brief logs in my phone to hold me accountable. Until next time! 

[LiserFrenche]

Congrats on finishing your semester healthy and wiser.  Hats off to you, it could not have been easy.  Keep it up!

[Aegle]

Friday 12/26/14

Update

It's been about a week since I last posted, but I'm back now. I haven't had time to post because I visited NYC and then traveled home for Christmas. Here's how the past week went: 

--I remained mostly paleo during my trip to NYC and only experienced one binge

--I walked a lot around Manhattan

--I ended up sitting for several hours due to a long bus ride home

--Instead of eating unhealthy throughout the week of Christmas, I choose to "cheat" just on Christmas day 

 

Review

Although I did eat sugar, gluten and other processed foods, I'm glad to say that I never had more than one "bad" day in a row. Personally, I knew that I couldn't remain completely paleo during the holidays because I'd have constant cravings and end up giving in completely. I'd rather have a couple days of unhealthy eating than a month of it. Now that I've gotten it out of the way, I can get back on track and have a head start of being healthy for 2015. 

 

Challenges

--I'm home for winter break, which means that it's easier to binge because I won't be eating in a cafeteria with other people 

--I'm away from school, so I won't be able to take my daily walks around campus 

 

Advantages

--Returning home for winter break means access to a kitchen (yes!) where I can cook and know exactly what's in my food

 

Mission

--Eat paleo

--Don't remain sitting for over an hour 

--Go out for a walk (every day if possible)

--Lift heavy things (i.e. textbooks, lol) 3 times a week

--Improve sleep: Go to bed and wake up at reasonable hours (maybe 11:00 PM & 7:00 AM)

[Aegle]

Why is it that I can start my day off well but then fall off the wagon by binge eating later on? I realize that I'm susceptible to compulsive eating in the evening after dinner. I now understand that my mindset towards healthy eating is very important; it determines my chances of success and failure. My mind must be fully committed to eating healthy, or else I will give into spontaneous cravings, which will snowball downhill quickly. Therefore, I have to be stubborn in my denial of sweets. Don't even think about eating them...just say NO!

 

I'm determined to not let this setback turn into a failure. My setbacks are just obstacles on my journey to success. Therefore, I've created a meal plan for the next seven days. Tomorrow I will go grocery shopping and stock up on vegetables, meats, and healthy fats. Mission accepted: here I come! 

[Aegle]

Saturday 12/27/14

Food (all meals cooked by me)

Breakfast: Skipped (binge ate last night and wasn't hungry)

Lunch: 2 fried eggs

            Sauteed kale w/ onions 

            Roasted radishes 

Dinner: Parsnip & celery root soup w/ bacon

            Applesauce w/ walnuts

            1/2 banana w/ almond butter, unsweetened shredded coconut & honey 

 

Exercise

Walked around the grocery store and lifted my shopping bags

Walked around kitchen while cooking 

 

Notes

Accomplishments: No binge eating

                              Ate paleo

Improvements: Walk more

                         Reduce consumption of fruits and nuts 

 

Motivation

Slow progress is better than no progress

[Companion]

Good analysis of your behaviors, and compensation!!

[Aegle]

Oh shoot, I messed up again. I've been going through a difficult time in my life and emotional eating is a serious problem for me. I know what I should be doing, but I get into a slump and f#&$ up. Arghhh! I will not give up though, I just have to recognize triggers and adjust my ways...

[Companion]

Most of the battle is just learning ourselves. You are in that process. If you are learning it is not a failure.

[Aegle]

I'm embarrassed to say that I had another binge episode yet again... yeah, I know that I'm only hurting myself and such, but it's honestly really difficult for me. I don't have any excuses; I'm just writing this to hold me accountable for my actions. 

[Muscle Professor]

Keep posting and we can be here for you. What food was it that defeated you this time?

[Companion]

It's okay, you don't need an excuse. You're not being graded.

Identify triggers if you can, forgive yourself, and move on to the next day.

[Aegle]

[Aegle]

These past two weeks have been rough for me in terms of diet and exercise. As a result, I am suffering from a post holiday "hangover" and am feeling terrible. I'll admit that if this were a game, I would probably have died. Game over. But, I choose to respawn (yes, again, I know) for the New Year. 2015 marks a fresh start to get back in the game. Here are my goals:

Eat for nutrition (vegetables & meat)

Eat mindfully (stop binges)

Walk every day 

Lift heavy things several times a week

I will overcome my binges, not let my past determine my future, and continue on my Journey to Better Health. Starting NOW I will get the ball rolling this New Years and be ready to enter the 6 week challenge next week! Lets go!

[LiserFrenche]

I am so happy you are continuing to post. Thank you for checking in with me as well.  This past fall was tough, I kept on sliding back into my old habits of not exercising and eating sweets.

I can't wait for the 6 week challenges either...YEAH!  I am writing up my quests today to see how sustainable they are. 

 

I wish I had binge eating or compulsive eating figured out myself.  What has helped me at times is to stop and ask myself if I really want the unhealthy food, and if I do, why? Sometimes I just want it and in that case, I sit down and savor every bite. Other times I am trying to numb a feeling, usually anxiety or tiredness. Other times it is my perfectionist saboteur showing itself (oh, since I had one cookie, I might as well eat all of them since I am off track anyway). 

 

Wishing you a healthy 2015!  Keep on posting.

[Aegle]

Happy New Year! I broke my binge eating cycle today and ate well. I also went outside and took a walk around my Neighborhood.

[LiserFrenche]

Nice - way to turn it around! Sometimes all you can do is baby steps.

[Aegle]

I stayed on track today and set my quest and goals for the 6 Week Challenge  

[Aegle]

Just letting you know that I'll be posting in my 6 Week Challenge thread until Feb. 15th

[Aegle]

The Jan. 5th 6WC has come to an end (see http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/58469-aegles-first-challenge/#entry1323528),so I'll be posting on this thread until the start of the next challenge. 

 

Today went okay; I'm slowly improving. Yesterday I binged on sugar & gluten. Although I also faced compulsive eating today by having a lot of chocolate candy, at least I did better than I did yesterday by going to the gym and avoiding a massive gluten binge. Tomorrow I'll strive to make improvements from today, and little by little I'll go far. 

[Aegle]

Crap, I binge ate again... this is seriously a huge problem for me. I tired adopting the mentality of not restrictig myself to foods b/c that'll lead to a sense of deprivation and prompt major binges later. However, I just can't seem to eat in moderation. I had a healthy dinner consisting of 2 hamburgers and plenty of veggies. I decided to have a slice of cake for dessert. All was okay, but then around 2 hours later I went back to the cafeteria and stuffed myself with ice cream, pizza, etc. Even as I was eating, I knew it was bad, but I just couldn't get myself to stop. 

[Aegle]

I was doing well for a couple of days and gained some confidence. I'm the type of person who's introverted and tries to keep to myself so as not to bother anyone/get in their way. Feeling good, I held my head up and wanted to attract (good) attention. However, no one notices me for the most part, which then discourages me. I figure that if no one pays any attention to me then I'll just eat whatever and wallow in despair. Unfortunately I let this happen today and I ended up binging. But now I realize how sad it is that I try to eat healthy to impress others and not for myself. I need to start loving myself and appreciating myself for who I am. It's time I take care of myself for myself and not for others.